Birthday Present
by Carnellia
Summary: When there's nothing Nico can do for Percy, he thinks of the best birthday present he could ever give to him. One-sided Percy/Nico, oneshot.


**..I guess HoH spoilers, I'm sure most of you know what it is but still.**

* * *

It pains him to see Percy so broken, so lost. He's been like that since four months ago, when Annabeth left him forever.

How ironic it is, for the love of his life to die on his birthday, on their anniversary, on a day that should have been more special than anything. Percy's birthday present this year was the loss of love.

It was just the one strike, one swish of the giant's hand that took her away from him. Nico feels guilty that he couldn't stop it, that he wasn't just a little bit faster, and he knows the same guilt is festering inside Percy, slowly but surely eating him up from the inside. He can see it, the things that made Percy _Percy_ falling apart like a old building being demolished. Nico hopes that someday Percy might just come back to his old self, piece himself back together and _live_, but he knows that no amount of time will ever do the deed.

They're both at Camp Half-Blood permanently right now, Percy because he doesn't want to leave behind the traces of Annabeth that linger in the cabins, and Nico simply because he doesn't want to leave Percy. He still hasn't told Percy about his feelings, because he thinks that Percy couldn't take a confession still so early in his grief, and also because he's still afraid of what Percy might say. But Nico visits him in his cabin every day and spends most of the day with him. Percy doesn't object, because he needs the company and the words and what little comfort Nico might be bringing to him.

But no matter what he does, Nico won't ever be able to take the place of Annabeth in Percy's heart, and he knows it better than anyone.

* * *

On some days, when Percy is drunk and comes to him crying for Annabeth, it's Nico's job to calm him down, tell him everything's alright, and get him to bed. He holds Percy, letting him cry freely into his shoulder, leaving a dark patch on his shirt. But he doesn't mind, and when Percy finally cries himself to sleep with one last whisper of 'Annabeth', Nico takes him to his cabin and to his bed, taking a warm blanket and carefully covering Percy with it. With a whispered "Good night, Percy," and a feathery light brush of his lips on Percy's cheek, Nico leaves him to go back to his own, cold cabin.

In the morning, Percy doesn't remember anything, and Nico doesn't tell him. It's better that way. Memories would only bring pain and hatred and everything else that Nico doesn't want Percy to suffer through. But he can't help the what-if, the small hope that maybe Percy will remember and still be accepting of him. He doesn't entertain that thought though, and immerses himself in sword practice, if only to forget about everything.

* * *

On Percy's first birthday after Annabeth's death, he only sits there and stares at the wall mindlessly, a picture of Annabeth and himself clasped tightly in one hand. No one can get him to eat or drink anything, much less celebrate his birthday, and when Nico tries to get him to eat a slice of cake, Percy finally responds in the form of a yell.

"Just go away Nico! You and the others, everyone's being fucking annoying today, just stop!"

Nico stands there in shock. Percy's never yelled at him like that before, and it hurts. It hurts so much, every word a stab in his chest because all he wants is for Percy to be happy again but Nico can't give it to him. He'll do anything for the son of Poseidon, but what do you do when there's nothing you can do?

Nico lowers his head so his dark bangs covers his eyes that are threatening to spill, and whispers, "I'm sorry," but Percy can't hear him because he's gone back to the blank, dead state that he was in before.

Nico turns around and lets the tears fall, and leaves the cabin and heads for the beach.

The beach is cold with the chilly air from the sea and dark with only the moon illuminating it, but nothing can feel colder than the heart beating in his chest. He sits down and wraps his arms around his knees and puts his head down on them. He closes his eyes, and he can feel Annabeth's spirit in the underworld. She's in Elysium, as a hero of her caliber should rightfully be. He wonders if she will choose rebirth, but probably not. She'll wait for Percy, because they're truly inseparable even by death. Neither is complete without the other, and Nico really has no place between them. Sure, they _cared_ for him, but he was always falling behind, even though all he wanted to do was walk alongside Percy as his equal.

Tears fall onto the sleeves of his arms and he raises his head to swipe at his eyes. That's when a familiar voice speaks behind him.

"I'm sorry, Nico."

He freezes, then relaxes as he realizes that the source of the voice is Percy. He wipes the tears from his face hastily, and stands up. He asks, "Sorry for what?", although he knows exactly what Percy is apologizing for.

"For yelling at you and calling you annoying, among other things." Percy says, and Nico's heart lurches painfully at the broken, sorrowful tone of his voice. He hates that, he wishes Percy would speak in that cheerful tone he's had before all of this happened.

"It's fine. I understand, today's.." _her deathday_, he doesn't say, and trails off uncertainly. He doesn't really know what to say, because that's really it. Percy doesn't need to apologize because there was nothing to apologize for.

That's when it hits him. It's something he can do, give Percy a perfect birthday present.

"Percy, do you want to see Annabeth? I mean, I can call her spirit to the land of the living, if only for a little while, and you can talk."

Percy stares at him, and Nico wonders briefly if they were the wrong choice of words before an enormous grin spreads over Percy's features. He hasn't seen that smile in a while and it warms his heart to the core. "Yes! I- can you really do it?"

Nico nods, and the smile gets impossibly wider."We need a few requirements though. A shit ton of food and some shovels."

* * *

They bring shovels that were lying around in the strawberry fields and food nicked from the camp kitchens to the woods. Nico tells Percy that they'll need a huge hole in the ground, and they start digging. It's not easy, because the ground is cold and dry and packed, but after about an hour and a half they manage to dig a hole big enough for the two of them to sit in. They then pour the roast beef and pies and drinks into the whole, Percy sneaking in a few bites in the process, and step back. Nico raises his hands and starts to chant in Ancient Greek. He can see Percy squirming in discomfort out of the corner of his eye. When spirits shimmer into existence all around them, he holds them back with his mind and says, "Annabeth Chase."

One spirit breaks the line of ghosts and kneels to taste the food. When it straightens, it's formed into a girl with blond hair and stormy gray eyes. Percy gasps and steps forward, and Annabeth looks around in confusing until she sees Percy in front of her.

"Annabeth.. Oh gods, I'm so sorry."

She's silent for a moment, and looks toward Nico. He nods at her, and she turns back to Percy and smiles. "Hey, Seaweed Brain."

Percy tries to grab her hand, but Annabeth's hand evaporates like water when his skin gets close to it, and he draws it back with a crestfallen expression. "I missed you so much.. I'm so sorry, if only I was a bit faster, we could still be together..."

"Hush, Seaweed Brain, even if I'm dead, I'm not breaking up with you." Nico watches them converse, and he has a very light smile on his lips at Percy's happy face that he hadn't seen for so long, even though a nagging voice in his head says, but it's not for you. It doesn't matter, not now. What matters is that Percy is happy, even if it's a temporary thing, and Nico helped bring it to him.

When it's time for Annabeth to go back to Elysium and all that's left is a hole in the ground with beef floating in foamy water, Percy turns around and hugs Nico. Nico stiffens in surprise, but eventually hugs him back tightly. It's these moments that Nico treasures, when he can show Percy how much he's in love with him without Percy knowing.

"Thank you so much, Nico. I-I can't even tell you how..."

"Hush, Seaweed Brain," Nico echoes Annabeth," you deserved a better birthday present than a measly slice of cake."

"But really.. I-I'm really grateful to see that Annabeth's safe in Elysium. I would have gone and killed myself if she hadn't gone there.. After all we've been through."

No way she wouldn't have made it, Nico thinks, but doesn't say because he's sure Percy knows it too. When Percy retracts his arms from the hug, Nico is surprised to feel disappointment blooming in his heart, but the smile that comes afterwards seems to make up for it.

"So..about that birthday cake," Percy says."Is it blue?"

* * *

Over the last ten months or so, Percy's been getting a lot better. He still occasionally wakes up in the middle of the night, screaming for Annabeth, but they are a lot less frequent and Nico actually gets a full night's sleep now and then. Percy's also recovered enough so that people can say 'Annabeth' in front of him and stay in one piece, and now he shows up in the arena three times a week, give or take, to teach the sword fighting classes. He's a bit out of practice but it's enough to awe the young, new demigods.

Nico's a lot happier now too, pining less for Percy because really, he has Percy, just not in the way he'd wanted. But maybe someday, he tells himself, someday Percy'll get over Annabeth and just maybe they could be together, and that thought moves him on through the days. He's also found out who Bianca was reincarnated as, a young girl in Texas called Sierra, born to a normal, mortal family. She's still about three now, but he hopes that her new life as Sierra will be much easier than the life she led as Bianca.

He doesn't want these days to end, but the sense of caution that he's always kept in his heart is holding him back, and he wants to let it go. But something else is telling him to remain on watch, a feeling of wrongness, and much as he wants to ignore it and just live his life carefree, he can't.

* * *

The day before Percy's nineteenth birthday, there's a huge party in camp to celebrate the safe return of three young demigods who left on a quest two weeks ago. There is an abundance of food and drink, and he sits next to Percy on a table, laughing and drinking in the merry atmosphere. Percy's lips are stained blue from the blue glass of wine he's holding in one hand, but Nico chooses not to drink at all. At a dare from the Connor brothers, he once drank three glasses of vodka, and after vomiting profusely and dealing with a head throbbing so much it was about to split, he decided alcohol was not his thing.

He yawns and looks at the large clock set into the wall. It's almost twelve, and he's surprised that Chiron let the younger ones stay up so late until he turns and sees the centaur slumped over a table, glass in hand. He smiles at that, and tells Percy that he's going back to his cabinㅡalthough Percy's so out of it he couldn't hear Nico if he screamed into his earㅡand stands up.

His cabin's freezingㅡit was always cold but now it feels like Antarctica to Nico as he undresses, puts on pajamas, and climbs into bed. Thankfully, he's replaced the hard wood futons and thin army blankets that used to be there with foam mattresses and thick feather-stuffed pillows, and the moment he snuggles under the covers he's fast asleep.

* * *

Nico's suddenly woken by a frantic knocking of the cabin doors. He's always been a light sleeper and he's instantly alert. From the next-to-nonexistent light shining in through the window it's still nightㅡis the person outside the door out of their mind?

And he was getting such a good night of sleep too. Irritated, Nico vows that he'll kill the person outside the door in the morning, but that thought dissipates almost immediately after he opens the door.

Percy's standing there, and the expression on his face is one that Nico hoped to never see againㅡdespair.

"Nico.. I.." He says, and then breaks down completely. Nico catches him before he can fall and hit his head on the door frame, and Percy grabs onto him and begins to cry his heart out much like he used to a year ago. Nico silently asks him with his heart, _what happened, what made you so sad like this when I've worked so hard to put you back together?_

"Percy..."

Then he sees the object in Percy's hand, and his eyes widen. It's Annabeth's long-lost Yankees cap, dirty and smeared with mud and crumpled like paper. Everyone had thought it was lost from the battle, ages ago, but somehow it had made its way to Percy. Seeing it brings unwanted memories into Nico's mind, of jealousy and hatred, longing and pain, and he knows it's really not the time to think about that but he can't help it. He pushes that thought to the back of his head as best as he could and hugs Percy tightly, rocking back and forth lightly and trying to calm him down.

"Percy, you'll be alright, it might hurt now but time'll make it better."

He's never been good with words, and when Percy only starts to cry harder, he curses under his breath and berates himself. He places his head on Percy's shoulder and pulls him closer.

"Shh, it's going to be all right... Everyone else is here for you, and you know you can tell me about everything anytime."

"I don't want everyone else! I need Annabeth here with me!" Percy yells into his T-shirt and he sobs, broken.

Nico's heart breaks. He wasn't enough in the end, couldn't do anything. Annabeth is the one who should be here, and he in the Underworld. If it had been him who'd left them forever, Percy wouldn't have hurt this long, because he's never going to be as important a person to Percy as Annabeth. All these years of caring, of loving, of running to Percy when he needed him, and it's still not enough to make Percy see. That fact pierces his heart like a bullet, leaving a wound that no amount of ambrosia and nectar could ever heal.

"Bring her back... Want to see... I need..." Percy's hiccuping now, trying to get his breathing in control, but Nico can't really hear him, because reality's hit him hard and knocked all the breath out of him.

When Percy erupts in fresh tears against his chest, Nico makes his decision.

* * *

After he's made sure Percy's safe and sound in his bed, Nico recalls the words spoken to him so many years ago.

_A soul for a soul._

_One who has cheated Death._

He sits on the bed, next to Percy. Hopefully, all the alcohol that Percy drank has done its job, and he won't wake up anytime soon. He plays with the ends of Percy's black hair, and marvels at its softness. He studies his featuresㅡthoroughly memorizing the high cheekbones, full lips, and long lashes. Percy Jackson is beautiful, and Nico wants to remember every part of him, everything they've done together, even this.

After a final brush of his pale hand over Percy's cheeks, he steps back takes one last lingering look. He then bends down momentarily and presses a soft but firm kiss on Percy's lips.

"I guess my wish came true, Percy," he whispers. "to have my first kiss with you." _Even if you won't remember._

He straightens, and looks around for a piece of paper and something to write with. He sees a pen and a notebook lying on Percy's messy desk, and he quickly rips out a sheet and holds the pen over it. He wonders if he should write down the things he's planning to do, but only ends up scribbling a few words on it. He folds it and leaves it on the desk, trusting Percy to find it later, and goes outside.

It's still about four or so, and the sky is a mixture of cobalt and charcoal. The clear skies of Camp Half-Blood allow him to see the thousands of stars shining brilliantly in space. He imagines that the particularly bright star in the middle is Percy, and the equally shiny star next to it is Annabeth. He's not there because he's not here either. He laughs at himself and his stupid imagination, and walks down to the beach.

The sound of the ocean is calming, washing away the panic that should have been present from what he's about to do. It's like meditating to Nico, a way to control his emotions. It also reminds him of Percy though, and that's the only bad thing about it, that it hurts. When he touches the water, it's freezing cold, and the saltiness of it when he touches the finger to his lips makes him think that the sea is actually made of all the tears the people have shed. He wonders how much of them are his.

He looks up at the horizon. The endless sea, the power that is only barely held back in the waves that roll against the beach, all of it reminds him of Percy Jackson. He supposes it's not really a bad thing, because from now, all he needs to do to remember Percy is to think of the ocean.

He turns and closes his eyes, and lets the darkness engulf his body.

* * *

After the sensation of his skin being ripped off his face is gone, he takes a look around. Good, he's in the right place. Up above, he sees the line of spirits waiting for their judgement, and the three masked judges of death sitting in their seats. He begins the trek up the hill, and scratches Cerberus's nose when the big dog lies down flat in front of him. He passes the E-Z Death line, and weaves through the spirits standing disorganized in line. They try to grab at him, to have a piece of a living soul, but he only needs to give them a deadly glare and they retreat.

The judges are currently evaluating a spirit, a young girl by the looks of it, and she's sent to Elysium with a bounce in her step. After she passes, he walks up to one of the judges. Getting straight to the point, he says, "I want to bring back a life."

The judge slowly turns and looks at him. Well, Nico guesses he's looking at him, because the judge's face has a dark mask over it and he can't see a thing."And what makes you think you have the right to grant life to a dead soul?"

"Because," Nico starts, and thinks back to Percy's smiling face,"If the disappearance of one and a rebirth of another will make one happy, I'm willing to give it all up."

The spirit looks surprised at the answer, or so he guesses from the silence that follows. Nico starts wondering if he should have asked a different judge, when the spirit says, "And you have the soul required? Of one who has cheated Death?"

"Yes."

"Then who do you wish to bring back?"

"Annabeth Chase, she's in Elysium." He really hopes he's making the right choice in this, but what else can he do?

"...Ah, that one. A poor soul, she was a hero." the judge stands from his seat and floats over to him."Follow me."

* * *

The journey through the Underworld isn't pleasant; he's been here so many times, yet he can't ever get used to the yells and screams of tortured men and women in the Fields of Punishment. It doesn't help that he's not here for a casual visit, either.

He breathes a sigh of relief when they reach Elysium. The green fields and sparkling waters are beautiful, and he takes solace in the fact that this peaceful place will be where he'll be staying.

"The soul?" the judge turns and asks.

Nico spreads his arms out and looks at him. He doesn't think he can do this, but he has to, he can't give in to his fears when he's this close. The judge is, once again, surprised, but seems to shrug and accept it.

It's a strange feeling, being ethereal. When he turns around, he sees his own body slumped on the ground, and then suddenly bursting into millions of sparkles that rise and float to the sky. This is it, all they need is for Annabeth to be called over here.

The judge intones, "Annabeth Chase. I, a Judge of the Dead, call you to me."

And suddenly something is sucked from the faraway banks of the river and set in front of them. It then forms into a girl-Annabeth. She looks around in confusion, disoriented and her eyes widen when she sees Nico.

"Nico? Why... What are you doing he-" she stops when she sees that he's see-through, just like her, and she covers her mouth with a hand. "No... you haven't.."

Nico smiles at her, and it's a genuine smile. He takes her hand."I did."

She's shaking her head, staring at him with wide gray eyes. "No.. You can't do this, Nico. No matter how much Percy misses me, you shouldn't have done this!"

He just looks at her, sadness seeping into his eyes. Annabeth is becoming more and more transparent, but more vibrant, like someone's poured paint into her and started coloring. He smiles again. "Percy, he's probably dreaming about you right now. You have to go there and make him feel better; he's been crying his eyes out. I can't do anything for him, except this."

Now, Annabeth is crying, pearly tears making their way from her gray eyes to the ground. "No, no, no, _no_! Nico, no!"

And she's gone, back to the world she belongs in. And Nico feels a sense of rightness, like a wrong has been corrected and now the world is turning like it's supposed to. And in that moment, he knows that it was all meant to be.

* * *

Someone's knocking harshly on Percy's door, and he turns in his bed, trying to snuff out the annoying sound. "Uggghhhhhh..." he groans. He's got a horrible hangover from last night, and he probably has the darkest circles under his eyes right now that scream SICK.

"Oi, Jackson, get your ass out here right now! It's important!" it's Clarisse, and her voice just doubles his reluctance to get out of bed.

"Nngghh.. Shuddup and lemme sleep.."

"Get. Your. Damn. Ass. Out. Here. Or. I WILL BREAK DOWN THE GODDAMNED DOOR AND DRAG YOU OUT!" Clarisse screams, and from the way she's pounding on the door the threat seems genuine. So Percy drags himself heavily out of the tangle of sheets, and opens the door.

He's nearly brained by Clarisse's fist, which was poised to knock (read: blast off its hinges) on the door a third time. She crosses her arms, and says, "Follow me."

He does, and she leads him to a circle of campers who're crowded around something. When they get closer though, they all simultaneously part like a wave and let them through.

He sees what they were all looking at, and suddenly the world is like a dream seen through water, hazy and unclear and wavy. He walks forward but it feels like he's not walking, and then he's right there in front of her and he's dropping to his knees and-

"...Annabeth?"

He touches her, and she's not a ghost after all, not a cruel trick, and he gasps and hugs her. She's just staring all around her like she doesn't understand, and after a moment, she whispers, "Percy?"

Tears are flowing uncontrolled from his eyes, but this time it's of happiness and not regret. "Yes, _yes_, oh my gods, Annabeth, I-"

"Where's Nico?"

He freezes. Nico? "Wh-what do you mean?"

Now Annabeth is crying, and her eyes are glassy, and Percy doesn't know what to do. "Percy.. go look for him right now. Now, Percy, hurry!"

He looks at her with wide eyes, and then stands and helps her up. The crowd parts again to let the two through, and then they're running through camp, looking for the son of Hades.

* * *

After an hour of looking through every nook and cranny of camp, Annabeth finally drops down to her knees in front of Cabin Number Three, the only place they haven't searched, and starts to cry. Percy just looks at the seashell-dotted outer walls of his cabin and mutter, "Why...I don't..."

He opens the door to his cabin and steps inside, in hopes that Nico might be here. The only thing that greets him is the sound of the fountain in the middle of the room. He walks over to his desk like a zombie, and sees a folded sheet of paper with his name written on it with familiar, curvy script, and when he unfolds it, he can't help the tears that spill from his green eyes.

_Happy birthday, Percy._

* * *

**First time I've written anything even remotely angsty. And wow I'm really bad at it, but I hope I did this fandom justice!**

**This was one of the prompts my friend and I came up with at school, they're all what-if-Annabeth-died Percico prompts.**

**R/R?**

**+Percy has green eyes lol i forgot. too used to blue oceans and not green ones so I automatically associate him with blue.**

**Thanks, Jutka!**


End file.
